Why Rwanda has sent troops to Congo

Analysis: why Rwanda is fighting in Congo

It wants to neutralise a Hutu rebellion in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo that has caused great instability and poses a risk to Rwanda's own borders.

Who are they fighting?

The 6,000 rebels in the Armed Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) are led by Hutu extremists who helped carry out the Rwandan genocide against Tutsis. When they were driven from power in 1994, they fled across the border into Congo and have since joined other Hutu militias in a terror campaign against the local Tutsi population.

What does the Congolese government think?

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It invited the Rwandan force into Congo to conduct a joint mission as part of its strategy to bring peace to the east of the country. It hopes that defeating the Hutu rebels will also rob a powerful Tutsi rebel group of its casus belli.

Why might it cause more problems?

Rwanda's last attempt to root out the Hutu rebels, in 1998, sparked Congo's most recent civil war, when the armies of seven African nations fought on Congolese soil for five years. More than 5.4 million people have died since that last invasion. The Rwandans officially pulled out in 2002, but not before they were accused of looting Congo's mineral wealth under the pretext of fighting the rebels. Any new military operation in Congo raises the spectre of that last deployment, and could rally armed groups against Rwanda.

Will it succeed?

It is hard to say. The rebels are seasoned fighters who have sometimes been supported by Congolese Hutus. For their part, Rwandan soldiers are among the best-trained in Africa and enjoy the official support of the Congolese army. However some commanders might refuse to cooperate with their new allies or even give covert support to the rebels.